Vacuum cleaner



May 2, 1939.

D. M. DOW

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Oct. 12, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I I 1 ATT RNEY May 2, 1939. M ow 2,156,805

VACUUM CLEANER Fild Oct. 12, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet .2 I

INVENTOR 27% Patter May2, 1939 UNITED STATE-S PATENT OFFICE I vacuum CLEANER Dewey M. Dow, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Air-Way Electric Appliance Corporation, Toledo, hio, a' corporation of Delaware Application October 12. 1936, Serial No. 105,257 3 Claims. (01. 15-9) This invention relates to vacuum cleaners of the type disclosed in my pending application Serial Number 66,882 and Patent 2,114,630, of which the present application constitutes a. continuation in part, and the above disclosures are incorporated herein as a part hereof by reference.

The present inventionhas to do with a converting mechanism for converting the cleaner from on-floor to "oil-floor use and vice versa,

l0 and aimsto improve upon such a mechanism as is disclosed, for example, in United States Patent No. 1,458,939. To this end, it provides an arrangement in which the suction producing means is closed off from the normal inlet mouth by a gate valve in the throat of the suction chamber,

and the latter is positively held in inoperative position by the closing engagement, with the auxiliary inlet, of a cover member that is carried by an arm attached to the operating shaft of the gate valve.

Specifically, the improvement resides in attaching the cover to the control arm so as to definitely accomplish the following objects:

1. To constitute the cover an attached part of the cleaner and avoid its becoming lost, and

2. To provide a positive and sure latching connection between the control arm and a fixed portion of the'cleaner, so that the vibration of the cleaner when in use, will not dislodge such connection and cause the valve to undesirably shut oil the suction from the main inlet mouth.

A further object is to provide an arrangement in which the cover is attached by a mounting allowing the cover to be retracted from engagement with the inlet, and normally resiliently urging the cover into such engagement.

Another object is to provide an arrangement in which the suction from both of the dual fans of the cleaner disclosed in application, Serial Number 66,882, is exerted against the auxiliary inlet, even though the auxiliary inlet is located on Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the entire cleaner Y illustrating the use or attachments in the so converted form. r

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. l,

Fig. 4 is aside elevation of the body portion,

Fig. 5 is a similar view, partly in section,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cleaner illus- 5 trating the use of another attachment, and

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the attachment shown in Fig. 6.

A cleaner of the type under consideration comprises generally a suction chamber A, a fan cas- 10 ing B connected thereto, a handle C attached to the fan casing B, a dust collector D suspended from the handle, and a motor E for driving the fan impellers F and the rotary agitator G.

The suction chambercomprises an agitator l5 chamber III, a throat II, a bifurcated section forming two spaced air ducts l2 and a pair of eibows l3 to which the-fan casingB is swivelied. The chamber ID has a main inlet mouth Illa. The suction chamber is mounted on adjustable 20 rear wheels I4 and front wheels IS, the latter being covered by hoods I6 formed integrally with and projecting rearwardly from the chamber Ill. The top walls of the hoods Iii'slant downwardly to the rear in the plane of forward region of the 25 depression I! in the central region of the suction chamber,- in which depression the motor E is seated. Where the depression I! curves upwardly, the hoods l6 curve downwardly, and betweenthese diverging regions is positioned the shaft I8 30 on which is mounted the gate valve IS. The shaft projects through and is journalled' in side walls 20 of the suction throat II, and the region of the shaft lying between the walls 20 is positioned below the top wall of the throat, while the portions 35 of the shaft projecting outside the walls 20 lie above the wheel hoods i6.

The gate I9 is shaped to completely partition the throat II when in closed position shown in full lines in Fig. 5. In doing so, however, it 40 stands at a slight angle-to the perpendicular, so that its lower edge may engage the bottom wall 2| ofthe throat without binding thereagainst,

v and while the valve is spaced from the web 22 of the bifurcation. Thus air may flow from the auxiliary inlet 23 into both chambers of the fan casing B, one stream of air flowing directly and the other stream passing between the web 22 and valve l9.

To the projecting end of the shaft I8 is se- .beoscillatedtoclosethevalvell.

- tion tor .the main inlet mouth Ila.

The inlet 2-3 is of suiiicient length to be received in the end or an attachment hose ll (Fig. 2). It is provided with a threaded stud ll, carrying a nut 82,. when using the "insector" attachment I (United States Patent 1,961,168) the stud II is received in a slot 33 (Fig. 7) in the air duct I of the "insector, and the nut 32 is tightened against the duct 84. In this case, the hose II is attached to the outlet I! of the fan casing. and

held in the right hand, in position to direct an insecticide laden stream of air against an article to be treated, the "insector" is operated by a cord It attached to the control lever 31 oi the insector", the other end or the cord having a ring II which is hooked over a finger of the operator's left hand. Thus the operator may use the left hand to steer the cleaner to the desired position adjacent the article to be treated, and the right hand is used for directing the nozzle 8!.

I claim as my invention:

1- In a vacuum cleaner, a suction chamber having an-inlet mouth, a throat, and a pair of outlet ducts arranged in the .order named, a gate valve extending across said throat ahead of the junction between said throat and said ducts and adapted to isolate said ducts from said inlet mouth, and an auxiliary suction 'inlet communi- 1 eating with one of said ducts, and subject to suction from both of said ducts, air being allowed to pass from the other duct between said valve and said junction.

2. In a suction cleaner including a floor tool having a carpet engaging inlet mouth and auxa,iso,eos

iliary inlet, both adapted to receive suction from a tan carried by said iioor tool, the combination, a valve mounted in said tool and adjustable to selectively direct suction to said inlet mouth or said auxiliary inlet, said auxiliary inlet including a tubular extension, an arm' secured to said valve whereby said valve is adjusted, means carried by said arm and adapted to cover said auxiliary inlet when said valve is adjusted to direct suction to said inlet mouth, said means having a depressed central region adapted to be-received in said auxiliary inlet, resilient means acting directly between said means and saidarm urging said means into engagement with said auxiliary inlet, and said depressed central region serving to maintain said arm in fixed position when said valve is adjusted to admit suction to said inlet mouth.

3. In a suction cleaner having a floor tool including a carpet nozzle and an auxiliary suction inlet and having a suction ian carriedby said floor tool, the combination, a valve carried by said tool, arm means connected to said valve to adjust same, whereby suction may be applied to either said inlet or said nozzle, a cover carried by said arm means and adapted to close said auxiliary inlet when suction is applied to said nozzle, said cover being yieidably carried by said arm means to thereby yieldably engage said inlet and simultaneously inhibit movement of said valve, said yieldable means comprising a shouldered rod member having a knob thereon and extending through a counterbored aperture in an arm carried by the projecting portion of the shaft, a sleeve carried by the counterbore and a spring carried by the rod interposed in said sleeve between the shoulder of the counterbore and a shoulder on said rod.

DEWEY M. DOW. 

